Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry turned her back on the American flag during the national anthem because she felt insulted.
While the national anthem played at the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, Berry put her hand on her hip and turned away from the American flag.
She then picked her black t-shirt up with the words ‘Activist Athlete’ printed on it and draped it over her head.
Berry, who received a bronze medal, explained: “I feel like it was a set-up and they did it on purpose. I was pissed, to be honest.”
The athlete has previously protested against racism during competitions. On Thursday, she raised a fist at the trials saying she felt insulted by the Star-Spangled Banner playing as she took a bronze medal.
“They had enough opportunities to play the national anthem before we got up there,” she said.
Berry continued: “I was thinking about what I should do. Eventually I stayed there and I swayed, I put my shirt over my head. It was real disrespectful.
“It really wasn’t a message. I didn’t really want to be up there. Like I said, it was a setup. I was hot, I was ready to take my pictures and get into some shade.
“They said they were going to play it before we walked out, then they played it when we were out there. But I don’t really want to talk about the anthem because that’s not important. The anthem doesn’t speak for me. It never has.”
Spokeswoman Susan Hazzard said in a statement: “We didn’t wait until the athletes were on the podium for the hammer throw awards. We’re thrilled with the women’s hammer throw team that selected themselves for the Games.”
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